The government-run newspaper Farhikhtegan reported an increase in administrative corruption in Iran, stating that over the past six years, at least 863 city council members and mayors have been arrested. According to the report, since 2021, 430 city council members and mayors across the country have been arrested.
On October 20, Farhikhtegan reported the arrest of at least 20 city council members and mayors in various urban areas across the country in the past two weeks.
These incidents include the arrest of the mayor of Pataveh and several city council members, the arrest of seven city council members and the mayor of Abali, the arrest of four people in Pakdasht, and the dismissal of three members of the Talesh city council by the county governor.
In its report, Farhikhtegan stated that between 2021 and the first seven months of the Persian calendar year 1403 (March 21, 2024, to October 21, 2024), 430 city council members and mayors across the country were arrested for widespread corruption and financial misconduct. “When combined with the 433 arrests between 2018 and 2020, the total number of arrests reaches 863.”
Corruption in the municipal system, including the arrest of mayors, city council members, and middle managers, has frequently made headlines in recent years.
In one such case, Iranian journalist Hadi Kasaeezadeh released a video in which an individual claimed that Saeed Sadrzadeh, an assistant to Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani, demanded 400 gold coins and $450,000 in exchange for appointing him as the deputy for urban planning and architecture in Tehran’s District 1.
The rising trend in arrests
According to statistics published by Farhikhtegan, around 145 city council members and mayors were arrested nationwide in 2021, mostly for financial misconduct.
In 2022, the number dropped to 68 across the country, but in 2023, it surged by about 98%, reaching 135 arrests.
In the first seven months of this year (March 21 to October 21), at least 82 municipal officials and city council members were arrested for urban-related offenses.
Farhikhtegan emphasized that this report only covers those arrests that have been publicly reported in the media, suggesting that the actual number may be higher.
The report compares the statistics, noting that from 2018 to 2020, a total of 433 arrests were made across city councils, village councils, mayors, and municipal employees. In the last three and a half years alone, without including village council members or municipal employees, 430 arrests have been made.
Reasons for the increase in administrative corruption
Farhikhtegan cited factors such as widespread conflicts of interest, extensive monopolies, “golden signatures” (approvals from influential individuals), a rent-seeking structure, low-quality legislation, complex and multilayered bureaucracy, and lack of transparency as reasons placing Iran among countries with high levels of administrative corruption.
The report added that this situation has led to administrative violations, bribery, embezzlement, theft, fraud, and abuse of job positions at a low cost and risk, which has further facilitated the increase in administrative corruption in Iran.
Farhikhtegan noted that before anything else, the relationship between corruption and its key points should be understood, explaining why there is significant corruption in urban management.
According to a report by the Parliamentary Research Center, construction violations stem from various factors, including economic, social, structural, managerial, and regulatory issues.
Economic corruption within various pillars of the Iranian regime has frequently made headlines.
In recent years, numerous reports have surfaced about the arrest of officials at different levels across the country on economic charges.
Among them, some individuals who had been arrested on corruption charges in previous years have returned to their positions.
The state-run Etemad Online newspaper published an infographic on December 9, 2023, stating that embezzlers are competing with each other to
